‘Holly Daze’ returns next weekend ... but starting Friday, a new ‘Shop Local’ raffle can help you get into the spirit

Thursday

Nov 22, 2012 at 3:15 AM

By Shawn P. SullivanSanford News Editor

SANFORD — Sanford Downtown Legacy’s annual yuletide celebration, “Holly Daze,” officially returns next weekend, but anyone who wishes to get into the holiday spirit before then can enjoy the benefits of shopping locally.

Starting this Friday, Nov. 23, Sanford Downtown Legacy (SDL) encourages you to browse and buy at businesses throughout Sanford and Springvale; if you do, you can take part in a special “Holly Daze” raffle called “Shop Local” that will give you chances to win prizes. Shoppers will receive a ticket when shopping, dining, banking and more at participating businesses. Backstreet Grill, Central Furniture and Bergeron’s Shoes are examples of local businesses that are participating; for a complete list, please check online at www.sanforddowntown.org between now and Friday.

The raffle’s drawing will be held on Dec. 22.

As for “Holly Daze” itself, the festival will begin with the annual lighted parade on Main Street on Friday, Nov. 30, at 5:30 p.m. The parade will start next to the Dairy Queen on York Street and will end at the Mid-Town Mall on Main Street. Floats and bands and other merry marchers — including the couple of the hour, Santa and Mrs. Claus — will be among the parade’s main attractions.

If you are participating in the parade, please show up at Dairy Queen between 4:30 and 5 p.m.

Dr. Muriel Poulin, of Springvale, will be the parade’s grand marshal.

“To say a few words about Muriel is impossible,” Sanford Downtown Legacy Executive Director Fran Libbey said. “Her accomplishments here and around the world are outstanding.”

A distinguished career as a nurse just touches the surface of Poulin’s eventful life. After returning to the U.S. from her work abroad, she earned a Master’s degree at the University of Colorado and her doctorate from Columbia University. Throughout her career, Poulin consulted for 12 graduate nursing programs in this country and eleven others around the world.

For a full profile about Poulin, visit the Sanford High School Hall of Fame online at www.paulauger.com.

“Or, better yet, if you run into Muriel, take a minute to talk to her,” Libbey said. “She is quite a woman!”

After the parade, the Clauses will flip the switch for the lights on the town’s Christmas tree in Central Park. Afterward, Santa Claus will stick around for a bit so children can tell him what they want for Christmas.

New this year is a “snowcrow” contest, which is a spinoff from SDL’s popular “Scarecrows on the Pond” competition during “Harvest Daze” every September. Participants can purchase a “snowcrow” frame for $10 and can decorate it with a holiday theme. All completed “snowcrows” will then be loaded onto a truck and displayed in the parade for judges.

The frames can be purchased at any of the three Sanford Institution for Savings branches on Main Street. They must be returned to the SIS in downtown Sanford, however, by 4 p.m. on Nov. 30.

Also on the evening of Nov. 30, the Sanford-Springvale Art Association will host an open house at its gallery at 919 Main Street.

“Holly Village” is returning for its third year too. Starting on Nov. 29, the “village” will be open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at The Townhouse at 883 Main Street. Also at that location, the “Holly Daze” Craft Fair will be open for three straight Saturdays starting Dec. 1. Make sure to check out the temporary “pop-up” shop at the corner of Main Street and Twombley Road.

“Holly Village” will have a second location too, at 906 Main Street; it will be open on Dec. 1, with the possibility of more hours during the weekends between then and Christmas. “Holly Daze” will wrap up that Saturday, Dec. 1, with a variety of activities throughout the downtown — horse-drawn wagon rides, cookie-decorating, ornament-making, pictures with Santa, a scavenger hunt, and more. As well, children can play old-fashioned games, go on a “history hunt” and enjoy refreshments at the Sanford-Springvale Historical Museum at 505 Main Street in Springvale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information about the museum’s offerings, call 324-2797. Check out next week’s issue of the Sanford News for more details about “Holly Daze” on Dec. 1.

Sanford Downtown Legacy is putting on “Holly Daze” with the help of the Sanford Parks and Recreation Department and the Sanford-Springvale Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development. For more information, visit online at www.sanforddowntown.org or call 490-4002.